1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to merchandising structures, attachable to existing gondola displays and other types of conventional and vertically extending shelving. More specifically, the present invention discloses a merchandising assembly incorporating a supporting yet undulant vertical display for carrying volumes of small and medium sized merchandise, and in particular high volume merchandise, upon either or both first and second faces of the display.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Merchandising display structures, such as those typically mounted upon vertically extending support surfaces, are well known in the art for supporting volumes of smaller and medium sized merchandise. Such display structures are particularly desirable to retail merchandisers in that they provide additional merchandise carrying capability, beyond that typically provided by the existing gondola shelving assemblies, and can further be employed at various desired locations throughout the store to provide product placement and point-of sale advertisements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,286, issued to Shea, discloses one type of merchandising display structure mounted to a vertical support surface. The display structure further includes a single or pair of horizontally extending and rigid support members and to which is fixedly secured a further vertically and elongate extending display member. The display member is disclosed as being a rigid and substantially rectangular bar and through which are formed a plurality of apertures at spaced intervals, the apertures being designed to receive hooks or other conventional hangers for supporting large volumes of small sized packaged merchandise.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,866, also issued to Shea, discloses another type of merchandising display assembly which again includes a single horizontally extending support member. An elongated display member is provided in the form of a substantially flattened and rigid panel or grid which is secured to an outer end of the horizontal member in freely swinging and suspended fashion and extends in parallel fashion relative to the vertical support surface at a spaced distance. The display member exhibits a substantially flattened display area for securing thereon a plurality of hanger portions which are in turn capable of supporting volumes of small sized merchandise without obscuring additional merchandise which may be supported upon the vertical support surface.
A still further example of a rigid, vertically extending, swingable display is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,422, again issued to Shea, and which illustrates a substantially elongated and narrowed strip having first and second display faces and which are separated by a reinforcing and corrugated center. Apertures are again formed through the first and second display faces and through which are engaged merchandise support members (hooks) for supporting the volumes of merchandise.
The present invention is a merchandise display assembly supported upon a vertically extending surface and which provides a substantially vertically extending and flexible display. The flexible and undulant nature of the display surface of the present invention is an improvement over the fixedly mounted or suspended rigid vertical display surfaces in the prior art in that the flexible display is constructed so that it can reliably support volumes of merchandise on either or both faces thereof, while at the same time embodying the flexible characteristics to provide both safety to individuals accidentally contacting the display and built-in visual attraction to the device. The combination of the flexible and undulant nature of the display, combined with the ability to configure the merchandising display also as a self-promoting advertisement with specific imprinted indicia, additionally provides the retailer/merchandiser with the opportunity to both increase the available merchandise carrying capacity within the retail establishment in addition to providing highly effective product placement and point-of-purchase advertisements.
The flexible display is shaped with a specified length, width and substantially thin thickness and is further constructed from a material such as a durable polystyrene or a laminated cover stock. The display may also include an exterior configuration created to match that of a certain type of product, quantities of which may be supported on the display and advertised for sale, as well as further advertisement and identifying indicia placed on the first and/or second faces of the flexible display and to provide additional point of purchase information.
Apertures are defined through the thin and flexible display, between its first and second faces. The apertures are preferably configured in individual pairs extending lengthwise along the display. The pairs of apertures are preferably segregated in closely spaced and first and second subset pairs. Support hangers each include a planar base, merchandise support hook and mounting tabs and so that individual pairs of the hangers may be mounted in opposite extending and proximate fashion to the flexible display. The arrangement and configuration of the support hangers is further such that each individual hanger, of a respective pair of proximately located and oppositely extending hangers, provides a counterweighing effect when loaded with quantities of merchandise.
The flexible display is again supported in spaced and vertically extending fashion from the existing and vertically extending surface by a substantially horizontally extending and rigid support. Each variation of the rigid support includes a first end engaging with the vertically extending surface and a second end to which is attached the flexible display. Variations of the rigid support include the provision of smaller off-shelf type brackets, fixed as well as axially adjustable elongate and planar shaped brackets, single or double brackets to which the flexible member is secured, and hooks from which the flexible display may be suspended from a single fixed or adjustable bracket.